Chapter 79: Suspected Relatives

The next day, Wen Jiajia slept in and enjoyed her vacation days.

Wei Dai had obtained two fish and half a basket of river shrimp and placed them by the pond in the yard. Wen Jiajia’s eyes ached just looking at them.

People with trypophobia^[1]is a term used to describe a strong aversion or fear of clusters of small holes, bumps, or repetitive patterns. find river shrimp particularly distressing.

The fish wasn’t very large. Wei Dai had already killed it and cut it into pieces but hadn’t cleaned out the gills, fish bubbles^[2]refers to the gas-filled sacs or bladders within the fish., or roe^[3]refers to the eggs of fish., nor had he scraped the scales from the belly. It was clear he had been interrupted while preparing the fish.

Wen Jiajia ignored it for the moment and washed up before having breakfast. It was nearly nine o’clock, and she aimed to eat breakfast before then to maintain good health.

In her previous life, she had stomachaches due to irregular eating habits and consuming raw or cold food. In this life, her stomach still ached occasionally but not as severely. Wen Jiajia was committed to taking good care of herself.

After breakfast, Wen Jiajia began processing the fish.

The two fish weighed over a pound each. Wen Jiajia disliked crucian carp^[4]is a type of freshwater fish known for its golden or bronze color and adaptability to different water environments. because, although the meat was tender, it was small and had many bones.

However, at this time, having something to eat was important, so she couldn’t be too picky.

The crucian carp, along with its roe and fish bubbles, was placed on a plate, ready to be cooked into soup at noon.

Next, she turned to the river shrimp.

Locals love river shrimp for their high protein and low fat content, and they are considered the “first delicacy of spring^[5]refers to a special or prized food that becomes available with the onset of spring..” At this time of year, there are many river shrimp, and you can even spot them in the army’s river.

But the water quality had deteriorated, making wild river shrimp scarce. Nowadays, finding them is rare and expensive, often costing dozens of yuan per kilogram.

Wen Jiajia didn’t dare pour the live river shrimp directly into the basin as they would jump around and scatter, making them difficult to catch. Instead, she rinsed them in the fish basket three or four times, drained them, and set them aside in the kitchen.

With that done, it was time to focus on other matters.

Just as Wen Jiajia was about to leave, Fat Mother arrived. The first thing she asked was, “Jiajia, were your Wen Chun and Wen Xuan also bullied by that terrible child?”

Wen Jiajia replied, “Sister Jin! what has you so upset?”

JiaJia said, “Are you talking about the new kid who joined the red class yesterday? My children came back, saying he was very naughty and said unpleasant things. I just finished processing the river shrimp and was about to find his parents.”

Fat Mother, Jin Jie, nodded and said angrily, “That kid’s family is infuriating. Oh, you better not go there. That child is so uncontrollable that his mother can’t manage him. I went to his house today to talk to him. After his mother found out what he had done, she scolded him a bit, and then the kid charged at her stomach with no mercy. I was so scared, I quickly ran to the door, and his mother had to dodge too. She was afraid he would hurt himself against the wall, so she could only hold him tightly. Jiajia…”

Sister Jin suddenly lowered her voice and glanced outside to ensure no one was listening. With disdain, she continued, “That kid must be sick. I’m not just scolding him; he’s like someone from the 4th Hospital… sick. You know what I mean, right? He’s a psychopath with a physical problem.”

Wen Jiajia was surprised. “Really?”

She understood that Sister Jin was implying that the child was not normal and resembled someone from a mental hospital.

“Why would I lie to you? His mother seems reasonable, but she just can’t control him,” Sister Jin said, curling her lips. “Otherwise, I’d take you to see him so you’d understand. Hey, if this kind of kid really hurts our children, there’s no one to complain to. So why don’t you come with us to find Principal Guo and ask him to send the child back home? It’s too dangerous to keep him around.”

Wen Jiajia wiped her hands and said, “I’ll go take a look first. As for finding Principal Guo, it’s unnecessary because he won’t send the child back unless the parents agree.”

Principal Guo was not only the principal of the military primary school but also in charge of the Yuhong class and lived on the school grounds. She was a very principled person and would not persuade students to drop out. The military would not support such an approach, either.

Wen Jiajia thought if the child was really sick, the worst-case scenario would be sending Wen Chun and Wen Xuan to elementary school earlier. If the military primary school refused to accept her, she could explore primary schools in the city. With so many schools around, it was unlikely none would accept her, and she had to work every day anyway.

The Li family lived on the second floor of Building No. 2 in the staff compound. Wen Jiajia could hear the commotion from a distance.

Sister Jin said, “Listen, they’re quarreling again. That kid is quite powerful. He’s only been here for two days, and he’s already offended everyone on the floor.”

Sister Jin pulled Wen Jiajia upstairs, saying, “Let’s go and see what’s happening.”

The third door to the left from the second-floor staircase was the Li family’s. At that moment, the door was surrounded by people.

Some were there to watch the commotion, while others were visiting.

“Your child pulled my washed clothes to the ground and almost tore them. This is only in our compound. If it happened outside, your family would have to pay compensation, do you know that?” an aunt said angrily, hands on her hips.

The woman at the door nodded repeatedly, her posture slightly bent and her face full of shame. “I know, I know, auntie. I’m sorry. Can I help you wash them later?”

“I don’t need you to. I spanked your kid and washed his clothes. I just wanted to tell you that you need to seriously educate your child, or our clothes will be ruined.”

Seeing that the child’s mother was sincere and seemed reasonable, the aunt’s tone softened a bit, and she spoke more gently.

As soon as the tone dropped, someone else chimed in, “There’s also the issue of spitting. How can you let him spit at people? It’s so disgusting and unhygienic. And hitting people—children fighting at home is normal, but your child hits people before they even say a few words. He hits people just because he’s not happy. My child was eating his own candy, and when your child couldn’t get any, he scratched my child’s eyes with his nails. Fortunately, his nails weren’t long, or my child’s eyes would have been scratched.”

“I’m sorry, big sister. I will educate him properly. Once I’m done, I’ll bring him to your house to apologize.”

The child’s mother was blushing with shame. She had to hold the door tightly while apologizing as her child banged on it from inside.

The window of her house was open, and through it, Wen Jiajia could see the naughty child inside. He seemed younger than Chun’er, about four or five years old. His physique was as strong as Xiaopang’s, indicating he was well taken care of.

No wonder the two sisters wanted to beat him up and made detailed plans for the fight. Without some strength, it would be hard to subdue this child.

“Let me tell you, that child is sick.”

Suddenly, someone in the crowd said this, and murmurs spread as everyone began discussing it.

The child’s mother hurriedly said, “He’s not sick. He’s just been spoiled by the elders at home and is disobedient!”

“You can’t curse, hit, or spit at people if you’re not sick.”

“That’s right. I heard he even lifted the Jiang family’s daughter’s clothes. Feifei’s father came to our house yesterday.”

“I’ll keep him inside for now,” the child’s mother said.

Sister Jin whispered to Wen Jiajia, “Well, I was right, wasn’t I? There’s something wrong with this child.”

Wen Jiajia nodded but also shook her head. “Yes, there’s a problem, but I don’t think it’s a sickness.” Nowadays, people think mental illness is mostly caused by acquired factors and is often called “neurosis^[6]is a term used in psychology to describe a range of mental health conditions characterized by anxiety, emotional distress, or obsessive behavior that does not involve a loss of touch with reality..” A real neurosis doesn’t behave like this. In fact, mental illness varies, and congenital issues don’t usually present like this.

She observed the child through the window for a long time, then tilted her head and whispered, “Actually, he’s just bad and deserves a beating.”

While knocking on the door, she kept an eye on the situation outside. The child, who had been acting up, showed an angry expression and muttered to himself.

As more people gathered, the aunt in charge of the building arrived and dispersed the crowd.

“What are you all doing? If you have something to say, say it one by one. Why are you all gathering like this? It’s like a war.” After scolding them, those who had not been directly affected by the mischief left.

“Jia Jia, do you still want to discuss this?” Sister Jin asked.

Wen Jiajia had no further comment. The mischievous boy had been under strict supervision and wasn’t allowed to go outside recently, so she didn’t need to worry about Wen Chun and Wen Xuan getting into fights with him.

But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was odd.

The mother seemed unusual.

Suddenly, Wen Jiajia was startled. “Oh my god, Sister Jin, do you think I look like her?”

Sister Jin was taken aback. “You’re not related, so how could you look alike? Well, you both have the same nose and eyes… Wait, now that you mention it, from the side, you do look a bit similar, but not exactly.”

It’s usually hard for ordinary people to tell if they look alike unless they are standing side by side or in the same photo.

But Wen Jiajia wasn’t ordinary. To be precise, she wasn’t the original Wen Jiajia. She was very familiar with the appearance of “Wen Jiajia.”

She knew the original owner’s appearance in every detail. As soon as she saw the mother, she felt a resemblance to the original owner.

In fact, she resembled the original owner’s mother. Wen Jiajia recalled what the original owner’s mother looked like when she was younger, making it easy to spot the similarity.

They were about 50% similar. The original owner and her two sisters didn’t look as alike, especially their eyes, which were identical to the original owner’s mother’s eyes—like they were copied from a mold.

No way, it can’t be this coincidental, Wen Jiajia’s heart pounded. Things in this world can’t be so coincidental.

Despite her urge to leave, curiosity led her to approach the Li’s house.

The child’s mother looked very tired, but when she saw Wen Jiajia, she immediately put on a forced smile. “Please come in and sit down… Can we go inside and talk?”

She didn’t need to ask; she knew Wen Jiajia had come to address the issues.

Wen Jiajia nodded, and noticed the mother locking the naughty child in a room. Since she didn’t hear any banging sounds, the child probably wasn’t throwing a tantrum.

Guided by Chen Xuelan, several people sat in the room.

Chen Xuelan was the building manager. She said, “They’re new here. It’s inappropriate for you to gather in front of their door. People who don’t know them might think you’re ganging up on them.”

The people called in were unhappy and began to talk among themselves, causing the room to become very noisy.

Sister Jin whispered, “Actually, many people are envious of the Li family’s house. Look at it—60 square meters, so comfortable for a family of three. When the house was vacated, some wanted to move in, but before they could even make a move, it was taken. The people making a fuss outside just now are those who wanted the house.”

Wen Jiajia was about to respond when Chen Xuelan spoke again, so she remained silent.

“What are you arguing about? I didn’t say you were bullying anyone. I said people who don’t know might think you’re bullying them, which damages our building’s image!” Chen Xuelan frowned. “Okay, speak one at a time.”

“Actually, we’ve already said what we needed to. Her child is too naughty. We’re here to ask her to discipline him more.”

“I will take care of him, I really will. He’s either sick or just spoiled.”

“It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s sick… Well, actually, we’re fine now. Why don’t we just leave?”

“Yes, it’s almost resolved. Sister Chen, you stirred up a quarrel again as soon as you arrived. We’ve been arguing for more than ten minutes. Were you late because you were taking your time?”

Chen Xuelan was so angry she felt suffocated. Could it be that she was the one meddling?

“Then you decide. I’m leaving now, okay?” Chen Xuelan said, leaving in a huff.

Wen Jiajia’s eyes widened. They were leaving now?

Sister Jin laughed. “You don’t live in the staff building, so you don’t know. Director Chen is the most bureaucratic. She always arrives when things are at their most heated, interrogates everyone like a detective, and then repeats the building rules and says some polite words before running off. If you expose her shortcomings, she gets embarrassed and leaves.